Nursing - Accelerated RN to BS Option Program Description

Stevenson University offers the accelerated RN to BS option for registered nurses who would like to obtain a bachelor's degree in nursing. The accelerated curriculum is designed to enable adult learners to complete the baccalaureate degree in nursing in two years, attending part time.

Courses are offered in eight or ten-week terms. Multiple entry and exit points along the way enable registered nurses to accelerate according to professional and personal desires. Courses are scheduled in accordance with nurses' lifestyles, with a combination of online, face-to-face, and distance learning opportunities. A fully online option is available. RNs may choose to take the accelerated path, or they may pace their course of study to meet their family and work responsibilities.

This option is a concentrated program for the registered nurse, who is highly motivated, self-directed, and able to participate in independent learning activities. The Stevenson University nursing program is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, and approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing.

Qualified registered nurses must successfully complete a total of 120 credits. RNs may transfer prerequisite courses, college core, and nursing program requirements or take them at Stevenson University. Students who take community college courses are required to send official transcripts at the completion of their courses. The RN to BS nursing curriculum totals 30 credits. In accordance with the Maryland Articulation Model, Stevenson University will award 30 upper-division nursing credits to the registered nurse with an active, unencumbered Maryland or compact state nursing license upon enrollment into the RN to BS Option.

The RN to BS Option at Stevenson University partners with several community colleges across the state. In order to increase RN's accessibility to baccalaureate education, curricular articulation agreements are in place with the following colleges:

• Anne Arundel Community College
• Carroll Community College
• Chesapeake College
• College of Southern Maryland
• Harford Community College
• Howard Community College
• Montgomery College
• Prince George's Community College

Articulation agreements allow registered nurses to complete all program requirements at the community college. The RN to BS courses will be completed through Stevenson University, at the Stevenson or Owings Mills sites, at a hospital partner site, at the community college site, or online.

Prior to NURS 424 - Health in the Community, the student will be required to

• Submit proof of health insurance coverage.
• Submit current CPR certification.
• Substantiate adherence to the Department of Nursing's Health Requirements.

Course Requirements for RN to BS Students

Course Requirements Prior to Acceptance into the RNBS Option at Stevenson

• English Composition
• Introduction to Literature

Course Requirements Prior to Taking 300-level RNBS Courses

Registered nurses with an associate's degree or diploma from an accredited nursing program have completed most of the prerequisite courses as a part of their basic education. The following courses must be successfully completed prior to taking 300-level RNBS courses:

• Anatomy and Physiology I and II
• Microbiology
• Introduction to Psychology
• Introduction to Sociology
• Human Growth and Development
• Statistics

Course Requirements Prior to Taking 400-level RNBS Courses

The following courses must be successfully completed before taking 400-level RNBS courses:

• English writing at the 200-level or above
• Chemistry
• Nutrition
• Communication
• Physical education (or life skill or wellness learning)
• Four humanities courses from three different disciplines: philosophy, history, literature, or religion.
  • An ethics course (listed as philosophy) must be one of the four courses.
• Fine Arts